Sec. 10.54.01.10. Priority Waiting List

A. When it is serving its maximum caseload, a local agency shall maintain a priority waiting list of individuals seeking Program benefits.

B. In order to be placed on the priority waiting list, an individual shall be certified as eligible to participate in the Program.

C. A local agency shall place an individual on a priority waiting list according to the priority levels set forth in Regulation .09 of this chapter, as follows:

(1) To be placed on the priority waiting list in Priority levels I-V, an individual shall seek certification and be successfully certified by the local agency as eligible for Program benefits; and

(2) To be placed on the priority waiting list in Priority level VI, an individual may request to be on the waiting list over the telephone, unless the individual's postpartum status is at issue, in which case the local agency shall place the individual on the waiting list only after the individual receives a personal assessment at the local agency.

D. The State agency may advise the local agency that one or more priority levels may be excluded from consideration for the waiting list if it is not possible for those priority levels to be placed on the Program in the foreseeable future. However, if an applicant meets the requirements for one of the priority levels and requests placement on a priority waiting list, the applicant may not be denied inclusion.

E. An individual on the waiting list shall be selected for Program participation as soon as services become available. An individual in the highest priority level of the waiting list shall receive services before an individual in the next highest priority level on the waiting list receives services. Within a priority group, an applicant shall receive services on a first-come, first-served basis.

F. A local agency shall notify an individual of placement on the waiting list within 20 days of the date that the individual applies for Program benefits, or in the case of an infant or pregnant woman, within 10 days of the date that the application for benefits was made.